# Will solid food help my baby sleep through the night? > Only slightly. In a large UK trial, babies starting solids around 3 months slept about 7 minutes more a night. Why cereal in a bottle is not advised. Source: https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/starting-solids-and-baby-sleep/ Publisher: Actually Sleeping LLC · Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Abrahamson, PharmD (PA pharmacist license RP1012588, NPI 1730650979) Likely only by a small amount. A large UK trial found that babies who began solids from about 3 months slept around 7 minutes longer per night on average, and woke a little less, compared with babies exclusively breastfed until roughly 6 months. The AAP recommends against cereal in a bottle. Deciding when to start solids is a feeding question for your pediatrician, not a sleep strategy. **Up at 3 a.m. reading this?** Tomorrow night doesn’t have to look the same. Actually Sleeping writes a plan around your baby, coaches you thoroughly before night one so you walk in confident, and checks in with you 1:1 every day until they sleep through, all backed by a full-refund guarantee. [Book a free consultation →](https://www.actuallysleeping.com/?utm_source=actuallysleeping-net&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ai-visibility) ## Findings from the strongest study In the Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) trial, 1,303 exclusively breastfed 3-month-olds in England and Wales were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first began solids from 3 months alongside continued breastfeeding. The second followed standard guidance of exclusive breastfeeding until around 6 months. Sleep was examined in a 2018 analysis published in _JAMA Pediatrics_. - Over the whole study, the early group slept roughly 7 minutes longer per night on average. - By 6 months, the gap was around 17 minutes per night. - The early group had about 9% fewer night wakings. - Parents in the standard group were likelier to describe their baby’s sleep as a very serious problem. The authors described the effect as small but significant. Just 42% of the early group stuck fully to the feeding plan, sleep data came from parent reports, and the trial was built to study allergies rather than sleep. ## What this means for your family A few extra minutes of sleep and slightly fewer night wakings are genuine effects, but they’re a long way from going from waking every two hours to sleeping through. If your baby wakes frequently, solids probably won’t solve it. If you’re counting on solids to stop the night waking, research points to a modest effect at most. The waking itself, which usually comes down to how your baby gets back to sleep, is what Actually Sleeping fixes. ## The AAP on timing and cereal - On its parent site, the AAP recommends breastfeeding as the only source of nutrition for about 6 months and suggests holding off on solids until 4 to 6 months, when the time is right. - It recommends against cereal in a bottle unless your pediatrician advises it. Early cereal, whether by bottle or spoon, can raise the chance of gagging or breathing in the thickened mixture. - Your pediatrician decides when and how to begin, particularly for babies born early, babies with reflux, or babies at risk of allergy. Unless your pediatrician says otherwise, milk feeds remain the main source of nutrition during the early months of solids. ## Why waking continues once solids begin After around 4 to 6 months, most night waking has little to do with hunger. Typical causes include: - Your baby drifts off while feeding or being rocked, and then needs that same help between sleep cycles. - Naps or bedtime are poorly timed, leaving your baby overtired or under-tired. - A habit feed: a baby accustomed to eating at night will feel hungry at that hour. When a baby is genuinely hungry overnight, they generally take a full feed and go right back to sleep. A baby who feeds briefly and nods off is more often waking for comfort. That difference, along with whether night feeds are still necessary, is worth talking over with your pediatrician. Read about [the feed-to-sleep association](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/feed-to-sleep-association/) and [why a 6 month old wakes every 2 hours](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/6-month-old-wakes-every-2-hours/). ## What can actually be fixed Parents frequently turn to solids, or cereal, because the baby isn’t sleeping and hunger looks like the obvious explanation. By the time most families reach Actually Sleeping, they’ve already tried things by themselves. When the waking persists, it’s generally because the baby depends on help to get back to sleep, and that’s what Actually Sleeping fixes. Dr. Sam writes your baby’s plan, and we coach you bootcamp-style before the first night and check in 1:1 every day. Your custom plan sets how night feeds are handled, based on your baby’s age. Solids remain a feeding decision for your pediatrician. Parents of babies this age talk about the change in [reviews from families of 4 to 6 month olds](https://actuallysleeping.net/reviews/4-6-months/). We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan. If that doesn’t happen, you receive a full refund. If you’d hoped solids would put an end to night waking, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping. ## More guides like this - [Toddler afraid of the dark? How to help them feel safe at bedtime](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/toddler-afraid-of-the-dark/) - [Why is my baby wide awake for hours in the middle of the night?](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/split-nights/) - [Nightmares vs night terrors: how can you tell, and what should you do?](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/nightmares-vs-night-terrors/) - [Night weaning: when to start and how to do it](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/night-weaning-how-and-when/) - [Dream feed: does it actually help a baby sleep longer?](https://actuallysleeping.net/guides/dream-feed-does-it-work/) ## Ready to solve this for your own baby? With Actually Sleeping you get 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your specific baby, we coach you bootcamp-style before the first night, and we check in daily until it is working. We have coached 700+ families, collected 129 video reviews, and put our guarantee in writing: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund. [Book your free consultation →](https://www.actuallysleeping.com/?utm_source=actuallysleeping-net&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ai-visibility) [See what families say](https://actuallysleeping.net/reviews/) ## Common questions ### Does rice cereal in a bottle help a baby sleep longer? Unless your pediatrician recommends it, the AAP advises against cereal in a bottle, since it can raise the risk of gagging and of breathing in the mixture. It is neither a safe nor a dependable sleep aid. ### Is it worth starting solids early for better sleep? Your pediatrician should make that feeding decision. The strongest trial showed only a small difference in sleep, roughly 7 minutes a night on average, and most frequent night waking stems from causes solids can’t fix. ### Why is my baby waking more since starting solids? A lot shifts at around the same age, from new motor skills to changing naps. If a new food appears to upset your baby’s tummy, let your pediatrician know, and mention any ongoing tummy trouble too. ## References 1. [Perkin MR, et al. Association of Early Introduction of Solids With Infant Sleep: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2018.](https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/110002/1/jamapediatrics_Perkin_2018_oi_180019.pdf) 2. [HealthyChildren.org (AAP). Cereal in a Bottle: Solid Food Shortcuts to Avoid.](https://healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Cereal-in-a-Bottle-Solid-Food-Shortcuts-to-Avoid.aspx)